Seven tweeters who really needed to delete their accounts in 2017

If 2016 was the year of Twitter propelling people to high places – with Donald Trump’s 140 character-fuelled election win – then 2017 has been the year of Twitter unseating people in high places.

Historic homophobic and prejudiced tweets seem to have been emerging on a weekly basis in recent months – from Stormzy calling people “faggots” through to YouTube and I’m a Celeb star Jack Maynard being exposed for his teenage homophobia.

Even YouTuber Zoella, who could do no wrong (UNTIL NOW!), was found to have posted derogatory remarks about gay and trans people.

And let’s not forget the editor of Gay Times – well, ex-editor – who had posted dozens of homophobic, transphobic, ableist, classist and anti-Semitic tweets.

Here’s hoping fewer former homophobes emerge from obscurity in 2018.

Stormzy

Chart-topping hip-hop artist Stormzy apologised for a flood of homophobic tweets discovered by PinkNews back in November.

The British grime performer repeatedly accused people of being “a faggot”, “a fag”, or “gay” – including a child on TV who he called “a f***ing fag”. The tweets were written between 2011 and 2014.

The two-time MOBO Award winner responded, calling his past comments “foul and offensive”, and spoke directly to the LGBT+ community when he offered his “deepest apologies”.

In the tweets, Stormzy referred to people and things as “gay”, “so gay”, and “proper gay”, and in one he asked: “R u a fag??”

His tweets also stated that it was “proper gay” for men to dance, style their hair, show affection towards other men, not have sex before marriage or own a teddy bear.

In his lengthy apology, Stormzy wrote: “I said some foul and offensive things whilst tweeting years ago at a time when I was young and proudly ignorant.

“Very hurtful and discriminative views that I’ve unlearned as I’ve grown up and become a man.

“The comments I made were unacceptable and disgusting, full stop,” he added.

“Comments that I regret and to everyone I’ve offended, I am sorry, these are attitudes I’ve left in the past.

“The homophobic language I used was, embarrassingly, a part of my vocabulary when I was younger and ignorance made me feel comfortable to use them whilst not understanding the hate and the ramifications they carry.

Stormzy, who hit headlines for his vocal support of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, continued: “That isn’t an excuse, I take responsibility for my mistakes and hope you can understand that my younger self doesn’t reflect who I am today.

“Again, I’m sorry to everyone I’ve offended. To the LGBQT community and my supporters and friends, my deepest apologies”.

Jared O’Mara MP

Labour suspended Jared O’Mara MP in October after he allegedly referred to gay people as “fudge packers” and “poofters”, also alluding to anal sex as “driving up the Marmite motorway”.

O’Mara became the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam earlier this year, when he unseated former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who championed equal marriage.

In this instance, the homophobic comments were made on a fan site for Smiths singer Morrissey, rather than on Twitter.

In an argument with several other users of the message board, a user known as ‘gingerjared’ derided gay people as “fudge packers” and “poofters”.